


It's Raining Mabari

by Space_Dingo



Category: Dragon Age, Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Origins
Genre: Camping, Fluff, One Shot, Short
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-26
Updated: 2017-08-26
Packaged: 2018-12-20 05:28:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,174
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11914167
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Space_Dingo/pseuds/Space_Dingo
Summary: In which Warden Aeducan offers Alistair a gift and experiences rain for the first time. She is not amused.





	It's Raining Mabari

“Here.”

“What's this?” Alistair regarded his warden companion with a quizzical look. It was rather sudden when the dwarven warden spoke while they all sat around the campfire eating their evening meal. She held what looked like a crudely made doll. The material used in the construction of the doll looked like the various fabrics often found in the Grey Warden uniform. Alistair's attention turned back to the warden that was beginning to look impatient.

“Just take it!” She grunted as she shoved the doll into his hands. The grumpy attitude was very much unlike her and it was obvious she was well aware of the fact. It seemed she had trouble being serious and sentimental. If she wasn't cocky, she was flirtatious. If she wasn't flirtatious, she was joking around. In fact it was rather hard to tell those two sides apart. This was just plain unusual, so much so that anyone else who cared watched the two curiously. Those who didn't, didn't linger long and returned to eating. Her cheeks were growing hot and hoped that any coloration wouldn't show up in the camp fire light. If the silence lasted any longer, she'd probably end up looking like a tomato. A dwarven tomato. “When I was younger, my elder brother often bullied my younger brother and myself. He always felt superior for always being the older one. Now that I think about it, I think that's when I began to learn how to fight.” She looked up at Alistair briefly before she turned her attention to the fire. “Maybe I coddled the Son of a Nug Humper a little too much back then, but I used to mend his clothing for him. The servants could do that, but I wanted to learn. Eventually I made him a doll. It looked no better than that, but it really made Bhelen feel better. Can you imagine how proud it made me? Bhelen used to cherish the thing until Trian told Bhelen that dolls were girl toys and I never saw Bhelen with it ever again.” She laughed at the memory she recounted as if it were a silly little story. Rhona turned her attention back to Alistair who actually had listened to her story intently and she realized that what she said could potentially come off the wrong way. “I didn't mean to say you are feminine! Quite the opposite actually. I just felt… I just felt like it was a nice gesture that's all! If you don't want it, just say so. It didn't take any effort to make.” She tried her best to sound like it was a casual thing to do.

As Rhona tried to demean the gesture, Alistair looked over the doll. It was definitely humanoid in shape, that's for sure. If he used a little bit of imagination, it almost looked like Duncan. Alistair wasn't entirely sure if it was intentional or not. “Thank you.” Alistair said a little flustered. “I don't know what else I could say. It's great. I love it. You don't need to keep putting the doll down. I'm going to carry him in my pouch so he's with me every step of the way!” Alistair added with a bit of laughter and shot a look where Morrigan sat waiting for a snide comment, but it looked like she had already finished up and returned to her tent. All the better. When he turned his attention back to Rhona, he noticed a hint of a smile before it turned into a big grin. The dwarf nudged him in the ribs with her elbow, accidentally coming in contact with a big bruise he received a day or two ago. With a wince and a groan, Alistair nudged her back with his arm, but miscalculated the height difference and almost toppled her over.

The dwarven warden stood up and dusted the back side of her tunic. “I suppose I should clean up. Madam Lay Sister cooked tonight which means I'm on cleanup duty.” She collected her dish that she had set aside for a while now and held out her hand in a gesture to take Alistair's as well. Alistair shook his head and grinned back at her, holding his dish well out of her vertically challenged reach. “Nuh uh. You don't get to be the only one who gets to do random acts of kindness. _I’ll_ clean up and you can go get some sleep if you want.” While still keeping his dish out of Rhona’s reach, Alistair tried to grab her own dish. He was not successful and this ended up in a bit of a tussle between the two. Despite Rhona’s lack of height and with the help of Alistair's lack of finesse, the two were unable to gain the upper hand. By now, everyone cleared away to their own tents in order to get out of the way and to not to get involved.

At last, the dwarf stomped down on Alistair's foot and he relented in pain. “Ow! That was my foot!” He spoke childishly. Rhona hovered over him now with both dishes in her hands. “Perhaps you wouldn't be an easy target if you weren't so big.” She triumphantly replied while watching Alistair nurse his foot.

“Hey, now that hurt my manly feelings. I can't help seem like a giant to all the Dwarves.” As Alistair stood up and turned around to sulk back to his tent, Rhona grabbed hold of his tunic to stop him from leaving. She handed him the two dishes she held with a reassuring smile. Not a cocky grin or a secret smile she wanted no one to see, it was a very friendly and gentle smile. As Alistair took the dishes she shrugged, “If you want to help, then I won't mind a compromise.” Alistair returned the gesture with an awkward smile of his own and he sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck as he made his way to gather more dishes. “Rhona. Did anyone ever tell you, you have a pretty smile?” His face flustered as he did his damnedest not to turn his attention to the dwarf.

Clinking and scraping of the pot that was previously over the fire stopped as the dwarf froze at Alistair's comment. For a moment she felt flabbergasted. Unsure of how to respond as it was always her making these sort of comments. But it was different when coming from Alistair. He sounded so innocent. So sincere. That was just too adorable. “Are you trying to seduce me Alistair Theirin?” She turned to look at the other warden. This was too much; his face had become a bright shade of red at her question. She wanted to laugh, but for the first time ever she felt bad for even considering laughing at his discomfort. “No uh! That's not what I meant at all! I was just paying you a compliment! Don't get mad at mean! I'm not a creep I swear!” This time Rhona did laugh. “Do not worry about it, Alistair. I was only joking.” She could've sworn she heard a dejected Alistair mutter “I wasn’t.” As he scrubbed the dishes clean.

As the two finished the clean up and stacked all the pots, dishes and eating utensils away into the travel pack, Rhona let out a sigh. “I'm sorry Alistair.” He looked at her in confusion as the two had been silent for a while. “If you truly wish it, I'll stop teasing you. It obviously makes you uncomfortable.”

“Don't worry about it. It's not a problem. Really.” Alistair answered as he tightened the drawstrings and buckles of the travel pack. “You just have your own way of talking and that's fine with me. Really don't worry about it.” Rhona stood there unsure how to respond to him. She felt like he wasn't telling her everything and she wanted to point it out, but suddenly she felt an odd sensation. Something fell on her head. It happened two more times before she looked up.

Drip. Drip. Drip.

Rhona blinked each time water dripped on her face. By the stone what was going on?? She didn't like looking up at the sky to begin with, but at night it was easier. The darkness of the sky felt like the vaulted ceilings in Orzammar.  But this time she couldn't even see the lights the sky had only in the nighttime.

“Alistair?”

“Hm?”

“The sky is leaking.”

Alistair laughed when he realized she was being completely serious and wore a very concerned expression on her face. “Oh yeah. It does that. A lot sometimes depending on the time of year.” That answer looked like it didn't satisfied her. In fact she looked mortified now. It appears there are just some things the Dwarves in Orzammar just don't know about the surface. Still mortified, Rhona grabbed onto Alistair's tunic with both hands. “And nothing's been done about it?! No one has fixed this issue?!”

There was just some things the dwarf didn't understand about the surface and it looked like it was up to Alistair to help her understand. As he was about to explain his rudimentary understanding of the concept of weather, the weather in turn took a turn for the worse. As Fereldans liked to say, “It's raining Mabari.” and the expression was not an understatement. The soft patter turned into a torrential downpour and the only thing Alistair could think of was to yank Rhona towards his tent. Dumbfounded, She let herself be dragged. Before she knew it, she was shrieking about how they were all going to drown.

Once inside the not as wet tent, Rhona took her time to get her breath under control and looked at Alistair helplessly. With his best attempt at being reassuring he spoke, “We’re not going to drown. With luck, the tent will hold and the rain will pass. But we definitely won't drown.” He reaffirmed the fact that they were safe from drowning as Rhona looked as she was about to protest. “If you want, you could stay here until the rain stops. And no, I'm not _seducing_ you. Clearly this is your first experience with rain and I wouldn't want it to be a terrible experience. Rhona stayed silent as she looked down at her soaked tunic.

The silent was interrupted by a sudden snorting and whine sound as a big wet nose poked through the folds of the tent entrance. Rhona's Mabari had been the only one to not take refuge and he decided he would follow his master to Alistair's tent. “Aww..! Barkspawn come in you're soaked!” Rhona patted the ground beckoning the Mabari in.

“I wish you would have chosen a better name than ‘Barkspawn’. It was funny when you suggested it, but would you really subject this poor dog with a name like that?” As Barkspawn clumsily made his way into the tent, Rhona frowned. “He’s my boy and I have the right to choose whatever name for him. Besides, he likes the name! Isn't that right Barkspawn?” She cooed. The Mabari happily barked in response before he decided to take the opportunity to shake the water from his fur. Which now soaked the inside of Alistair's tent. If the two wardens weren't soaked before, they were drenched now. At the same time the two started yelling at the Mabari while he looked at the both of them adoringly.

“See? This is what you get for inviting a wet dog into a tent.” Alistair groaned. Barkspawn growled at Alistair and Rhona pouted, “Don't say that! Barkspawn did nothing wrong! … Even if he soaked this entire tent! Besides. You couldn't leave poor Barkspawn out in the falling wet!” She cooed at the Mabari again petting him and rubbing his belly as he rolled over in bliss.

“Fine. But I'm blaming you if everyone complains about us smelling like wet dog.” Alistair huffed as he patted over his bedroll hoping to find some inch of it dry. “Alistair, all of Ferelden smells of wet dog.” She began to shiver and she curled herself up close to Barkspawn for warmth. “I'm going to sleep now. Don't try anything. I've got Barkspawn as my guard.” 

Alistair wanted to retort that everyone would find something to complain about Alistair and then arched an eyebrow at the dwarf when she made a comment about Alistair trying anything. “Morrigan may think I'm stupid, but I assure you I had no such intentions. Besides Barkspawn would be at my jugular before I got anywhere near you and I for one, value my life, thank you very much.” Rhona didn't respond. He turned back to look at her, but she was already fast asleep. Alistair sighed and patted his bedroll a little more before laying himself down and throwing the bed over himself instead of getting in. He laid there in silence for awhile in thought when suddenly a thought occurred to him.

“Ferelden doesn't _really_ smell like wet dog. Does it?”

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, this is my first ever completed work of fanfiction. I hope you enjoyed it and if you are willing, I would love to hear your thoughts and critiques of the piece as I hope to be posting more pieces in the near future.


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